Surprised this hasn't been mentioned here yet, but I was quite sad to hear of the passing of Tom Walkinshaw. As a kid I loved the Jags he used to race, and I got his autograph when he was in NZ for the NissanMobil 500 one year. He was a grumpy little bugger. But a great racer, and a legendary team manager.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/motorsport-boss-walkinshaw-dies-at-64-20101213-18v12.html
He was quite a character for sure. Pretty hard nosed business man as well.